The voice behind Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, Rose, 50, married Jason Dirden last October in Los Angeles, Brides reported. The two met in 2014 when they were cast in the Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun. Dirden proposed in December 2021, but when the time came to settle on a date for the wedding, Rose and Dirden, 42, who is also a working actor, realized there was only one block of time in which they were both free — leaving them with two months to plan the wedding.

Rose decided to surprise Dirden day of with an original cover of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," which was to be their first dance song. Her schedule was packed until the very day of the wedding, however, leaving her with only the day before to record her vocals over the track.

"The only other person who knew that this was happening was the DJ," Rose told Brides. "I saw the moment Jason realized it was me singing. Meanwhile, my family knew it was me from the moment the first beat dropped! Jason was so focused on the dance that it took him about two lines in before he had that 'Ah' moment."  

Jason was shocked, but moved at the special moment.

"My first thought was: I did not know I was marrying a liar!" he joked to Brides. "It was so moving, so magical, and something I would have never expected."

Anika Noni Rose Marries Jason Dirden in Magical Ceremony

Adonye Jaja Photography

After some dinner and dessert, the dance floor opened up, with DJ George 2.0 (who was one of Dirden's college friends and has previously worked with singer Janelle Monaé) taking the helm. The couple said they trusted him to keep the party going and didn't give too much direction with the queue, hoping he would be able to play music that would appeal to all generations.

Their hopes were met when Euphoria actor and officiant Colman Domingo broke out into the electric slide on the dance floor, joining party goers of all ages.

"Colman Domingo, our officiant, started doing the electric slide, which is something that I never thought was going to be at my wedding, but it was so much fun!" Rose said. "Everybody knows a line dance, so all ages danced to that—there was an intergenerational joy and connection that was so fun to see."

Anika Noni Rose Marries Jason Dirden in Magical Ceremony

Adonye Jaja Photography

The night capped off with the couple riding away on a tandem bike together. Rose and Dirden enjoy riding bikes as a couple, so Dirden requested they find a two-seater to take photos with at the wedding. Rose's cousin did just that, renting a vintage tandem bike from eBay as their wedding gift.

At the end of the night, photographer Adonye Jaja suggested they hop on and he would snap some photos as they rode off.

"It was probably 9:30 and Adonye said, 'Hey, let's get you on the bike!' and by then I had forgotten all about it," Rose said.

For Rose and Dirden, the wedding couldn't have gone more smoothly — even if some things were unexpected.
 

Anika Noni Rose Marries Jason Dirden in Magical Ceremony

Adonye Jaja Photography

"My grandma always told me, 'Every kick is a boost,'" Rose said. "Things are going to go wrong, but everything that went 'wrong' during our planning was followed by something better. You may find that your 'plan b' couldn't be more perfect. We sure did."